Lubbock High class of 1965 to honor veterans

This plaque to honor Lubbock High military veterans will be dedicated today at the school.

AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

The Lubbock High School Class of 1965 is dedicating a plaque today honoring Lubbock High military veterans of the past, present and future.

The dedication and presentation to the school will be at 8:45 am, at the Lubbock High auditorium, and the public is invited to attend.

The keynote speaker will be David Maserang, a graduate of the LHS class of 1965 and a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Navy. The Lubbock High School Navy Junior ROTC will be the color guard for the ceremony.

“What I hope future Westerners will appreciate when they see the plaque is that young men and women walked the halls of LHS, went to the pep rallies, attended the classes. And when the time came, those young men and women stepped forward to shape world events, not to be spectators,” Maserang said. “I hope they’ll realize that each generation is called forth to purchase the freedoms with which we are endowed. We are proud of our service to our country and to our community, and we are proud to be Westerners.”

The idea of the memorial plaque was born five years ago at the class’s 40th reunion, when several former classmates were discussing the Vietnam War, Maserang said. They knew of at least two Lubbock High alumni — Leroy Herron, a Marine, and Frederic “Teddy” McCaskill, an Army soldier — who had been killed there.

Members of the class got the idea to purchase a plaque in honor of Lubbock High veterans who had been killed in wars and list the names of those who had fallen. However, they decided to change the plaque to one recognizing all veterans and not list the names because of concern of inadvertently omitting someone, he said.

Class members began a fund-raising campaign last fall to cover the costs of the bronze plaque, shipping and installation, which totaled about $2,000. Maserang said the goal was reached fairly quickly. Contributions were sent in by classmates, former teachers, LISD administrators and many others from across the country.

The ceremony is part of the 45th-year class reunion of the Lubbock High Class of 1965 today and Sunday.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for
following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and
comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are
automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some
comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules,
click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.